Lions release Daniel Bullocks, go 0-for-40 in five-year draft span

With the trade of linebacker Ernie Sims earlier in the offseason and Thursday's release of safety Daniel Bullocks, not a single Detroit Lions player remains from five consecutive years of drafts (2002-06).

Former Lions president Matt Millen selected 40 players during that five-year stretch, and every one of them has left Detroit. Some were traded, some left as free agents and some were given their outright release.

Sims, a first-round pick in 2006, was dealt to the Philadephia Eagles in a three-team trade that brought Denver Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler to Detroit. Bullocks, who was fighting to come back from knee problems, was cut.

Bullocks, a second-round pick in 2006, looked to be shaping into a solid player during his rookie season. But he suffered a knee injury in the following year during a preseason game and never fully recovered.

Last month, Bullocks said he was close to 100 percent but wasn't quite there yet. During offseason workouts, he wasn't getting a lot of reps in the defense, and that's usually an indication that a player doesn't figure prominently into a team's plans.

Among the 38 players gone from that five-year stretch are six first-round choices: quarterback Joey Harrington, receivers Charles Rogers, Roy Williams and Mike Williams, running back Kevin Jones and Sims.

There also were five second-round picks: defensive end Kalimba Edwards, linebackers Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman, defensive tackle Shaun Cody and Bullocks.